Updated 5/23/24 at 4:38 p.m. ET
After endless examination and analysis of the incident between Kelly Rowland and an usher on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, the superstar singer is speaking out to clarify exactly what happened.
In a video posted to the Associated Press’ Instagram, Rowland said, “The woman knows what happened, I know what happened. I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries and that is it.”
In explaining what led to the situation, she stated, “there were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off.”
“I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand hers,” she concluded.
Many replies on the post noted how hurt she looked as she discussed the incident. This is a pain Black women are all too familiar with, so Rowland doesn’t need to explain anything to us.
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We’ve all been there. You’ve been publicly disrespected or dismissed and you have a split second to decide whether this is a situation where you’re going to let your feelings be heard or brush it off and move on. For Black women, that means you have to make a snap decision on whether you want the whole world judging your feelings and reaction. Kelly Rowland found herself in the hot seat on Tuesday, when a showdown with a security guard on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival made headlines around the world.
As previously reported by The Root, the singer/actress had a confrontation with a staffer on the red carpet when several ushers showed up to drive her away from photographers and up the stairs, blocking her in and seemingly being disrespectful in the process. In a video of the incident, the “Motivation” singer is seen touching an usher’s arm to let her know she’s moving up the stairs. Then as she continues climbing them, she turns and wags her finger at the usher after she says something to Kelly.
Well, things have gotten more interesting, as a lip reader has weighed in on what the “Mea Culpa” actress may have said to the usher. According to the Daily Mail, Jacqui Press states that after the security guard seemingly stepped on Rowland’s gown, the Destiny’s Child star told them, “It’s OK.” It’s unclear what the security person said to Kelly next, but the :Dilemma” singer clapped back with, “Don’t talk to me like that.” As she heads up the stairs, Kelly turns and repeats herself to the woman. When another guard enters the situation, the Grammy winner lets everyone know one more time, “You still don’t talk to me like that!”
Even with the help of a lip reader, we’re still making presumptions about the exact details of the incident. However, what is clear is that Kelly Rowland felt like she was being disrespected and decided in the moment that her dignity and self-worth was more important than what others’ perceptions would be and that’s admirable. She’s been in the business long enough to know exactly how all this would play out on the internet and she stood up for herself anyway.
That’s why she’s Queen Kelendria!